Sudden Incident

Over the next few days, aside from his unwavering knight training early every morning, Evan spent all his free time beneath the mast, studying and practicing as he gradually absorbed the knowledge and experience Sail Master Jab imparted to him.

Strictly speaking, a sailing ship could not generate power on its own and could only rely on external winds and currents. So whenever the wind strength or direction changed, the sails had to be adjusted promptly. Otherwise, the ship could easily end up drifting aimlessly, or even risk capsizing.

While this created a huge workload for the crew, it also gave Evan plenty of chances to practice. And relying on his superior physical fitness, the guy even stole quite a bit of the riggers' work. Rigging that took several men to pull, he could handle alone with ease.

Modest and eager to learn, without the slightest airs of an officer, Evan got along well even with the lowest-ranking sailors. He quickly became one with the entire sail crew, while his own sail-handling skills improved at a rapid pace.

At least with the help of Data Vision, anything he had learned once never needed to be explained a second time. He was even better than veteran sailors at discerning changes in wind direction, wind speed, wave height, and more. When the sea was calm, Sail Master Jab even dared let him take command for a while.

By now, Data Vision had truly helped Evan far too much. Whether it was turning external objects into parameters, identifying details, or examining his own attributes, it was an immensely useful ability. Evan no longer held the same disdain for it that he had at the beginning...

The sky was high, the clouds were thin. Another peaceful day.

The Silver Wing's patrol voyage was nearly one-third complete.

Because they had been sailing along the routes used by nearshore merchant vessels, they had seen quite a few merchant ships. Yet Evan had not encountered a single pirate ship—the kind he had been hoping to use to test his skills.

It made sense. Naval ports were spread throughout the nearshore, where Navy Strength was at its greatest. Encountering the Blood Anchor in a bustling nearshore shipping area last time had truly been a low-probability event. Unless driven to desperation, most pirates would not dare come here to seek death.

At the tail end of early morning, after finishing his training, Evan climbed up to the lookout post as usual to scan the sea. Under the faint dawn light, the surface glittered with ripples, and there was nothing unusual in sight.

It was simply because there were no obstructions at sea, giving people the impression that the sun rose much earlier than it did on land.

"Where are the pirates?" With the sea breeze brushing his face, Evan muttered to himself expectantly.

"Hey, kid, isn't peace everywhere a good thing?" Gell, who had also risen early to inspect the warship, patted Evan lightly on the shoulder from behind.

Having been too focused to notice anyone approaching, Evan grinned at his words. He did not dare mention that he wanted to find a few pirates to test his skills on.

Fighting pirates was not telling stories. As long as there was battle, there would be casualties. The sea had never been a tranquil, peaceful place. Pirates, disease, harsh weather, and the indescribable things lurking beneath the sea were all deadly threats to seamen.

A normal Fourth-Rate Battleship carried 350 men. Yet fewer than 200 of the crew who had followed Gell when they transferred to this Fifth-Rate Ship, the Silver Wing, remained. As for where the rest had gone, that went without saying.

"Uncle Gell, something's happening!" Just as Evan was about to ask Gell about some strange tales of the sea, he suddenly caught an anomaly on the water from the corner of his eye. Not knowing whether he felt nervous or excited, he called out loudly.

"Stay calm!"

Gell gave a sharp cry and raised the brass-cased spyglass in his hand, looking in the direction Evan pointed.

Broken planks, wood chips, canvas, buckets, crates, and all sorts of debris floated on the surface with the current. With his experience, Gell immediately judged that these were traces of a wrecked merchant ship.

"Level Three battle readiness!"

"Clang, clang, clang..." Obeying at once, Evan rang the alarm bell.

The two then slid down the mast and ran toward Gell's command position on the Poop Deck, where the view was best and the ship's wheel was located.

At the sound of the alarm, the Silver Wing, which had still been somewhat quiet in the darkness before dawn, seemed like a giant beast abruptly roused from sleep. Countless crewmen surged from the cabins like a tide, rushing swiftly to their assigned stations.

Evan had thought the crew under Captain Joseph's command aboard the Yellow Swan had already been exceptionally well-trained. But after seeing the Silver Wing's sailors in action, he realized he needed to redefine his standards for what well-trained meant.

No need for Gell to waste words. He merely stood at his command post like a stabilizing pillar, while every person below knew exactly what to do and whom to coordinate with. In an instant, the Silver Wing became like a wound-up machine of gears, its gears meshing and turning on their own as it turned into a true engine of war.

"Raise the sails! Turn the helm!"

Under the crew's control, the Silver Wing deftly carved a circle through the water and sailed toward the direction from which the debris had drifted.

Before long, the crew aboard the Silver Wing saw the merchant ship's wreckage with their own eyes.

The damaged sailing vessel had broken into pieces, floating silently on the sea. Flags, shattered boards, and goods packed in crates were scattered everywhere, yet not a single corpse could be found.

"It looks like a merchant ship from Palos."

Experienced old sailors had already recognized it from the ship's style and the broken flag. It was a merchant vessel from the Kingdom of Palos, also part of the Tulip Alliance. They just did not know what it had encountered. The ship was little better than pulverized debris—an effect pirate cannon fire could never have produced.

"Captain, something seems wrong." Navigator Telius frowned.

A bizarre possibility had already surfaced in his mind, but he was not certain. After all, that was a threat only ocean-going vessels could encounter in the Outer Sea.

It should not have been possible in the Nearshore, where shipping flourished but marine resources were scarce.

"Level Two alert!" Hearing the Navigator's words, Gell naturally had his own suspicions as well and decisively gave the order.

The command was relayed to every department aboard the ship. At this moment, whether they were combat personnel or not, the crew took out their long and short firearms and loaded them with ammunition, ready to deal with an enemy that could appear at any time.

Even as everyone aboard prepared tensely, a thin mist gradually began to rise from the sea at some unknown moment, and visibility continued to decrease.

In fact, after so much time had passed, the sun should have risen by now. Yet the sea in everyone's sight instead grew steadily darker. The Silver Wing had no choice but to lower her sails and slow down, lest she accidentally collide with something.

"Click, click, click..."

Just then, a strange mechanical sound suddenly came from Gell's chest.

Standing behind Gell, Evan looked over in confusion and saw Uncle Gell's expression change. With a grave look, he pulled a silver object resembling a pocket watch from his clothes.